This invention relates to vehicle steering column mounted control stalks, and, more particularly, to an improved form of control stalk including a plurality of slidable and rotatable switch actuators for controlling a multiplicity of functions in an automotive vehicle with a minimal amount of manipulation from a minimum number of switch actuators thereon.
The form of the control stalk illustrated and described herein is especially suited for use in an automotive vehicle speed control application to provide a selective combined Set and On, or On, Set, Resume and Off control functions from conjoint and/or selective actuation of a pair of juxtaposed slidable actuator buttons carried on a handle surrounding the steering column-mounted control lever. The latter may be the turn signal lever customarily provided on present forms of vehicles. At its free or outer end, the control stalk receives an axially translatable and rotatable actuator knob, which is located adjacent the aforesaid slidable actuators on the control handle and is secured to the control lever to provide actuation of a control switch for actuating a windshield wiper washer pump motor. In addition, the control knob affords a selection of electronically controlled variable delay intermittent wipe intervals over a limited range of rotary movement of the knob we well as continuous Lo-speed and Hi-speed windshield wiper drive motor controls including a return to an OFF control position. The control lever, moreover may be further mounted for swingable movement in a first plane transverse to the longitudinal axis of the sterring column for turn signal actuator application and in another intersecting plane, which is mutually orthogonally related to the first plane and contains or is parallel to the longitudinal axis of the steering column, for headlamp beam selection and/or light modulated signalling applications.
Related forms of control stalks for speed control applications are willustrated by U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,481,422; 3,499,125 and 3,761,662, while U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,413,427; 3,511,943; 3,859,489; 3,881,076; 3,934,101; and 3,988,574, illustrate control stalk applications for multiple function control of windshield wiper motor and washer functions.
The present invention seeks to provide an improved form of control stalk for providing, with a minimum amount of manipulative movements, a plurality of up to nine or ten additional and different vehicle speed control and windshield wiper washer functions from a minimum number of or three switch actuators having a most convenient and facile arrangement on an elongated operating control handle mounting said actuators and surrounding the steering column mounted stalk lever.
The stalk is further associated with a column mounted vehicle turn signal switch with lane changing features and with a column mounted headlamp beam selector or dimmer switch with Hi-beam flashing capability and provides up to eight additional signalling applications and/or functions from the control stalk.
The above and other objects, advantages and features of the invention will appear more fully from consideration of the following detailed description made with reference to the accompanying drawings.